Golden
by sigyn-reincarnated
Summary: An extremist terrorist group decides to release a virus that zombifies people. Post Mockingjay, pre-epilogue. Hayffieness. Open to all comments, criticisms, and compliments.


The zombie came at Effie swiftly. Effie tried to stab the bleeding monster before it threw her down onto the wood floor of the abandoned shop. Haymitch heard the crash of her body against the wood and the knocked over bottles of food before he heard her scream.

"Haymitch!" Her voice was loud, were raw, and frightened. The zombie fought against her now imperfect crackled nails, its mouth falling on to her face, teeth hitting her cheeks and bodily fluids spilling out on to her clothes grey clothes.

"Haymitch!" She fought desperately, tears running down the sides of her face mixing with blood and organ fluids. Haymitch looked around desperately for a weapon before turning to a sweet statue of a woman that had been made from copper. With coarse hands he grabbed the doll and ran to Effie who was now straddled under the zombie as it attempted to end her. Haymitch pulled the zombie off her and shoved it to the wall and began to beat its head in with the copper woman, her sweet smile staying all the while. Effie scrambled to her feet and could do nothing but watch, bewildered by what she saw. Haymitch's eyes had glazed over in rage and fear as he began hitting the beast. Sweat dripped down his face as his teeth clenched and blood splattered over his face and clothes. The muscles in his arms flexed as he yelled and brought the copper woman to the creatures head again and again and again. The zombies face was oozing blood and brain as it landed on the ground finally gone from the world forever. Effie stood still and watched as Haymitch stood over the zombie like an angry gorilla his breath ragged and pouring in and out of his lungs. She hesitantly stepped closer.

"Haymitch?" She lightly touched his shoulder with blood stained fingers. He turned to her rapidly his eyes wide in panic before the glaze left and he looked at her.

"We should go." Effie nodded and he pushed past her to go back into the other room and grab his backpack. She looked at the copper woman and her smiling face doused in blood before following him.

...

The rain had started to fall again, mud filling the crevices on the bottom of their shoes. Haymitch pulled a hood over his head and turned to look at Effie. Her sweater was drenched with blood and the remains of body parts, her face and curly white hair streaked with bright blood. She looked back at him, his hands dirty and covered in blood, so much blood, on his face, and clothes, and hair. They nodded at each other and began to jog to the house checking for zombies at every turn. They reached the door to Haymitch's house and climbed up the ladder to the upstairs window. He went first and watched for zombies as Effie began to climb the ladder. He gripped her hand to help her through the window.

"Thank you." He replied with a simple gruff before dropping his backpack and walking in to the bathroom to shower. Effie rolled up the ladder and closed the window before barring it up again and drawing the curtain. Effie listened as the shower started in the bathroom and walked downstairs to the bathroom downstairs. She undressed herself and set the bloody clothes in the sink before checking for bite marks or scratches. She sighed a breath of relief when she was not able to find any. The shower was scalding and it was only then as she was washing the blood off her face and out of her hair did she cry.

...

Haymitch started down the stairs and stopped when he saw Effie. She was in the kitchen putting food on two plates. Her hair was damp but still maintained some curl and her fingernails had been manicured. She picked up the plates and started to walk toward the dining table. Haymitch continued down the stairs causing the wood to creak. Effie turned and screamed as she dropped the plates. She looked up to see him on the stairs her chest raising, eyes wide, her fingers clenched into white fists. Her hands slackened and her eyes calmed.

"Oh, Haymitch, I'm sorry," she turned and grabbed the broom to sweep up the glass, "that was foolish of me. I was just startled that's all. I'll get you new ones when I can." He walked over to her and grabbed a towel and bent down to help her clean up the food. He tossed the food in the trash and Effie followed with the pieces of glass. She stood up quickly her hands and breath just as shaky as the other, "I'll get us something else." Haymitch placed his hand on her shoulder lightly and she turned to him with fear in her eyes.

"Why don't you go sit down sweetheart,"she looked up at him and nodded blankly, "you're cooking is shit anyway." He gave her a smirk and she returned a smaller one before grabbing her clothes and climbing back up the stairs.

"I'm just gonna wash the blood out of the clothes, are yours in the bathroom sink?" He looked her over and decided it was best that she stay busy.

"Ya."

"Alright." He watched her climb up the stairs before turning back to the kitchen to make dinner.

...

Effie sat down on the couch as Haymitch handed her a bowl and spoon. She smiled her thanks and he sat down next to her. She took a bite and smiled.

"You were right," He looked up at her confused, "my food is shit." He cracked a smile at that.

"My mom used to make it for me."

"Abernathy family recipe?"

"Something like that." They continued to eat in silence before Haymitch turned his head and looked at Effie's sweater.

"Is that mine?" She looked down at the navy blue sweater fondly bringing white bony fingers to the fabric.

"Yes," she answered as if she had just remembered a fond memory, "you don't mind if I wear it do you?" He shook his head.

"Not at all, maybe you can add some sparkles sweetheart." Effie smiled a slightly larger smile than before, but the smile quickly left her face as something bumped the door. She jumped slightly sucking in a breath. She stared at the door for a few seconds before she looked back to her food, playing with it.

"It would seem I am quite jumpy today. I may just ruin both your plates and your couch from all my jumping about." She laughed a pained laugh before taking a slow bite of food.

"Ruin whatever you want, I never wanted this damn stuff." He placed his empty bowl on the table before putting his feet up. Effie placed her own bowl down and scooted closer to him.

"I miss Katniss, and Peeta, I wish they hadn't died for me. They had so much potential and they were truly wonderful people."

"I don't."

"No?"

"No, as a survivor of the games, the war, and for a while the virus outbreak, I think they deserve death, they deserve a good long rest in the ground." Effie pulled the locket out of her shirt, the one Peeta had given Katniss. They had buried them together and Katniss with her pin, the pin of a hero, a warrior, and they're sweet girl. Effie opened the locket and held it out for Haymitch to look at. Haymitch took it in his hands and his eyebrows raised in shock. Effie had covered the pictures of Katniss' family with pictures of Katniss and Peeta, this he had expected, but he had not expected the picture of himself, smiling.

"That was the one picture I could find where you were smiling. It was just you, and me, and Peeta, and Katniss, sitting around. I wish the locket was still golden. So we could be a team again, but I suppose we'll never be a team again." He ignored the last thing she said not wanting to discuss it and instead asked about his picture.

"Why am I in here? Planning to kill me?" he laughed at his own macabre joke.

"No, but you're important to me, and you're not dead, but this whole situation has killed us all a little bit. The games, the rebellion, the war, the deaths, and now this. Maybe one day we'll be safe, but I don't think anybody can be the same after that."

"That's true probably true sweetheart, that's probably true." She caught a flash of gold as he lifted his hand to his face.

"You're still wearing your bracelet, and it's still golden." He smiled and rolled up his sleeve.

"Ya, reminds me of them. And you. It's comforting." She leaned on his shoulder and he let her and they stayed like that for a while.

...

Haymitch opened his eyes groggily and was welcomed back to reality by Effie's smiling face. He scowled at her.

"Jeez, won't you let someone sleep? For christ's sake." He turned over and rolled his face in to the couch.

"No, no. I've finished with out new sweaters and I want you to try yours on." He turned to face her, his hair moving with him,

"Why the hell would you make sweaters? We have enough damn sweaters here."

"No, we don't. I cut them all up."

"And why on Earth would you do that?"

"To make this sweater."

"What the hell's wrong with you? Cut up sweaters so you can make one?"

"Please Haymitch, just stand up and come look. I made it special." She grabbed one of his hands and pulled him up. He pushed himself off the couch and let her lead him to the sweaters. She handed him the dark green material and ushered him to put it on.

"Now I made the top out of Nylon, which is good for wind, and I didn't know what color to make it, but I figured a forest green was good, and the inside is fleece, which is nice and warm. I added gloves with optional fingers, I thought it might be nice. but, of course they're extensions of the jacket, it's madness to cut holes in the sleeves like I've seen some people do. I also have a hood on there which I thought was nice. It comes with a string so you can pull it around your face, and, see this right here?" She pointed to a small zipper on the side of the hood that was covered by fleece to keep from irritating skin, "if you unzip this, you can pull out a sort of face mask, to keep your nose from freezing. Now, I do admit, it's not very well done, but half the time I spent sewing I was just working on figuring out the sewing machine. It is quite old. The jacket isn't as elegant as I would have liked, but I figured you wouldn't mind much. And I was able to put a bar around the bottom, not too great for looks perhaps, but it will keep the rain off your pants. And there's some plastic in the collar so that the zombies can't get you there." Haymitch bent his arms around and put his hands in the pocket smiling, surprised at her work.

"It's great sweetheart."

"I don't know about great, but I tried my best. I hope it will at least keep you a bit more safe than without it." He smiled a soft smile.

"I think it will."

...

Effie had put on her own sweater and a blanket before curling up in the bed of Haymitch's guest room. Dark circles were heavy under her eyes and she clung to the sheets from fear and cold. The room was cool and an eerie breeze shifted through the house. She closed her eyes knowing Haymitch was in the room next to her, and he was a very light sleeper, he would help her if anything happened. She was awoken by a scream and a crash. Effie stood up and rushed out her door, a table leg in her hand. She was shocked by what she saw, Haymitch thrashing about the room, knocking over glasses, and kicking before huddling in a corner whimpering.

"Haymitch?" she called from the stairs, "Haymitch?" She rushed to him but stayed back lest he get up and start thrashing again. She hesitantly touched his face, "Haymitch, wake up, you're having a nightmare. Haymitch. Haymitch!" His eyes opened and he stood up in a panic, Effie backed up to give him space so he could assess the situation.

"You were having a nightmare. I heard you screaming so I came downstairs." He breathed heavily and clenched his jaw. In the dim moonlight she could make out a few expressions on his face. She walked closer to him and affectionately brought her hand to his cheek before removing it, "are you okay? Why were you on the couch? Instead of your bed?"

"I thought I could guard the door a bit, in case the zombies got in." She smiled.

"That's brave of you," he was silent,"you want me to go? So you can sleep? Or stay?"

"Whatever you want. I'm just gonna go back to sleep."

"Okay." Effie walked away and up the stairs back to her bedroom as Haymitch settled on the couch. A few minutes later he opened his eyes to the soft sound of her tiny feet on the wood as she dragged a blanket with her. It was clear she did not think he could see her, nor did she even think he was awake. She cursed after tripping on something and he smiled. She moved the coffee table and put a pillow on the floor before lying down and pulling the blanket she had brought with her over her body. The room was quiet for a moment before Haymitch spoke.

"Why'd you come down here?"

"Up there gave me the chills. Only reason I stayed up there in the first place was because I thought you were up there."

"You gonna stay on the floor?" She scoffed.

"I was planning on it, yes. Not like I could very well go up there anyway."

"You could," he gave a snort of a laugh and she chuckled in response.

"Not in your dreams Abernathy." His voice suddenly grew dark and sad.

"Nothing like you in my dreams." Effie rolled over and sat up before placing her head in front of him on the couch. A piece of curl had come out of the head dress she had worn to bed and it swayed lightly, she grabbed Haymitch's hand with the golden bracelet and put her own hand over it.

"But I am here in real life." Haymitch stared at her for a moment before touching the gold curl hanging in front of her forehead.

"Looks like you do have something golden." He tugged on her hair sharply.

"Ow! Dammit Haymitch!" He laughed as she tucked it back in to the head dress.

"You'd best get to sleep sweetheart." She smiled at the name, although it was always said sarcastically, she could always sense a tinge of tenderness in the name.

"Ya." She settled back in to her bed and again, the room was quiet for a few moments.

"Haymitch?" He answered with a tired voice.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for saving me today."

"No problem sweetheart." A wind blew threw the wood covered windows and Effie shivered. Haymitch opened his eyes.

"Dammit it's cold." Effie moved over on the floor and lifted up her blanket. He looked at her oddly for a moment and then slowly slipped off the couch to lie down on the rug pulling the blanket over himself. And there they slept, with their backs nearly touching, afraid and yet happy to be alive, well, and together.

Tired, broken, and a bit happier they went to sleep.


End file.
